


Tender Love

by sleepydanceur



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Ballet, Fluff, M/M, Romance, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-08
Updated: 2015-09-08
Packaged: 2018-04-19 15:47:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4752005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleepydanceur/pseuds/sleepydanceur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Chanyeol's six year old daughter crushes her new ballet teacher, Chanyeol's old high school fling"</p><p>Written for <a href="https://twitter.com/chankaiprompts/status/584380383321579521">this</a> prompt!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tender Love

**Author's Note:**

> Really needed some Papa!Yeol ;u;

“Hurry daddy, I’m going to be late!”

Seulgi kicks her feet up against the back of Chanyeol’s car seat impatiently.

“Impossible! A princess is never late!” Chanyeol calls back, making whooshing noises as he rounds the corner carefully and shifts the gear. Seulgi giggles behind him, mimicking his sound effects through her laughter. Sneaking a quick glance into the mirror, Chanyeol smiles at the reflection of his daughter’s excited face, her hair pulled away from her face in a neat bun on top of her head.

When he finally pulls into a parking space in front of the studio with five minutes to spare, Seulgi is already fighting her seatbelt off, eager to run inside. Chuckling, Chanyeol steps out and takes her hand into his own, letting her drag him behind her as she hurries in through the doors.

The studio lobby is unusually packed with people, all familiar faces. The kids run around, chasing each other as their parents chat and wait for the dance room to open. A number of them nod and smile in greeting when Chanyeol steps closer, letting Seulgi go off to join her group of friends.

“Taemin isn’t here yet?” Chanyeol asks, surprised at his rare tardiness. He’s usually there to greet his students as soon as they arrive.

“Oh, didn’t you see the email?” Sunyoung blinks at him, pulling up the message quickly on her phone. “He’s going to the academy in Jeju for a while, so he found a replacement to take over his classes till he gets back.”

“What?” Chanyeol gapes, berating himself for ignoring his inbox all week. “Ah, I must have missed it.”

He’ll have to give Taemin a call later on when he has a free moment to wish him well.

“Did he mention who the new guy is?”

“Yeah, he’s– oh, he’s here!” Sunyoung glances over her shoulder at the sound of a door opening on the other side of the lobby.

Chanyeol cranes his neck to see over everyone’s head and his heart nearly smashes through his ribs when he catches sight of the new ballet teacher. Gawping, he watches when it’s none other than Kim Jongin who walks in, wearing tight black leggings that hug his firm thighs and a fitted black shirt accentuating the broadness of his chest.

Suddenly aware of how he must tower over everyone else, Chanyeol lowers his head to hide his flaming cheeks and bends his knees to somehow hide himself behind the other parents in front of him. His heart thunders in his chest, his throat suddenly too dry to swallow. He never thought he’d be in the same room as his high school fling while bringing his daughter to her ballet class.

“I’m sorry to keep you all waiting!” Jongin starts with an apologetic bow. His voice is deeper and huskier than Chanyeol remembers. There’s a shuffle of activity and the parents start bidding their kids goodbye, while Jongin steps aside to let them shuffle into the studio.

Throat constricting, Chanyeol ducks down and leans back on his haunches as he beckons at Seulgi to come next to him.

“I’ll come pick you up when you’re finished, okay?” he says quietly, cupping her little face to kiss her forehead. She nods happily, throwing her arms around his neck in a quick hug before skipping off, twirling with shaky pirouettes to join her friends. Chanyeol takes one last look at her, waiting until she’s disappeared inside the class before he slips out of the studio. He doesn’t dare look back to see if Jongin caught sight of him.

He feels winded when he stumbles into his car, suddenly uncoordinated and tripping over his own feet. His stomach is in knots as he sits there, trying to catch his breath. His hands are gripping the steering wheel but the engine is still off. Fitting the key into the ignition is hard when he’s shaking so much. It’s been almost ten years since he last saw Jongin, thinking he’d probably never get to see him again. 

They met in high school, after Chanyeol crashed into him in the cafeteria and spilled his drink all over Jongin’s clothes. Mortified, he’d spent the entire day trying to apologize and make it up to him, offering to buy him lunch until he finally gave in.

It’s only halfway through their meal that Jongin tells him he’s not actually that mad about it.

“Couldn’t pass up a free meal,” he snorts, his eyes crinkling with laughter and Chanyeol punches him in the shoulder before laughing with him in relief. 

Lunch turns into shots at a nightclub the next day and getting each other off in one of the grimy bathroom stalls at the back. It’s frantic and heated, fumbling with their pants as they laugh into each other’s mouths in between kisses and Chanyeol is high on the rush.

They fool around a lot after that, meeting up in between classes for a quick few minutes in the garden shed or behind the bleachers. Sometimes it’s just to make out; other times the urge is strong enough to risk a blowjob between the bookcases in the library.

It’s casual; a mutual agreement they don’t talk about even as their friendship grows stronger. One of the perks about being so in tune with one another is that everything just falls into place easily.

So really, it’s no one’s fault but his own for not bringing it up when Chanyeol realizes he’s probably more than a little in love with Jongin. He’d felt the shift halfway through the semester, when he started looking for Jongin’s smile in the crowd of students in the hallways, wanting to be beside him purely for his company rather than another sexual favour.

Jongin doesn’t seem to notice, still pressing into Chanyeol and touching him even though it means more to Chanyeol than it probably does to him. Chanyeol says nothing either, the fear and crushing doubt weighing down on him like a rock.

Casual is better than nothing. He can’t risk ruining the friendship they’ve built for something so baseless. Pushing his feelings aside seems easier than the thought of pushing Jongin away.

It’s when they’re sitting idly on the bleachers, just enjoying the fresh air and the sunshine on their skin when Chanyeol finally decides to go for it. It’s hard to breathe when it feels like his heart is lodged in his throat.

He wets his chapped lips and opens his mouth.

“Jongin, I–"

“I’m moving.”

Chanyeol stares at him, dumbstruck. 

“What?”

Jongin’s still staring down at his knees, his voice a little shaky when he speaks again.

“My dad got promoted and they transferred him to a different branch. We’re leaving next week.”

It feels like all the air has been punched out of Chanyeol’s lungs. There’s a faint ringing in his ears as he tries to process Jongin’s words.

“To where?”

“America.”

His heart plummets to the pit of his stomach. He feels the tips of his fingers go cold and he tightens his grip around the bench to keep his hands from shaking.

“Chanyeol?” Jongin’s eyes are shiny when he finally looks up at him. He looks more vulnerable now that Chanyeol has ever seen him. “Say something. _Please_.”

His eyes grow desperate as he waits for Chanyeol to find his tongue through the feeling of his chest caving in on itself. Jongin seems almost expectant, urging him silently to say something. Could it be… _maybe_ –

No. Chanyeol’s just projecting.

Jongin is _moving_. The distance is daunting enough that it saps at his entire resolve to finally come clean. He can’t risk ruining things now, not when there will actually be an entire world between them in a matter of days.

“I…I–,” Chanyeol stumbles, his tongue feeling too heavy in his mouth and he swallows past the desert in his throat. He breathes in shakily, pushing past the tightening around his heart. “I’m gonna miss you.”

Jongin smiles sadly, looking down and scrubbing a hand across his eyes quickly before pulling Chanyeol into a tight hug.

“I’m gonna miss you too, hyung.”

 

He regrets everything the second Jongin boards his plane. They try to keep in touch in the beginning but the timezone difference gets in the way. They both get progressively busier with college and the emails start taking longer to arrive until they finally stop coming and Chanyeol stops sending. He spends a long time refreshing his inbox time and time again with a sinking heart while his drafts folder fills up with half written emails he never sends.

 

Chanyeol has spent long, hard years kicking himself over it, for saying the wrong thing and thinking it was for the best. He’d already been in so deep he should have just held on; he should have tried his chances and _said_ something. Maybe then he wouldn’t still be living with that heavy ‘ _what if_ ’ that’s always there aching somewhere in the back of his chest.

Ever since he had Seulgi, Chanyeol has tried his best to focus all his time and energy on her. It’s jarring to see him like this after all these years, reopening that vault of regrets and heartache that hit him all in one go. It still hurts to think about when he lets himself dwell for too long, caught off guard by his own wandering thoughts. Right now it feels like he’s taken a sledgehammer to the chest.

A loud honk from a passing car snaps him out of his musing and he shakes his head, trying to clear his mind. Starting up the engine, he inhales deeply and drives away.

 

Jongin doesn’t spot him when he comes back to pick Seulgi up at the end of class. Not with the way Chanyeol hides himself and hurries them back to the car the second Seulgi steps out.

He doesn’t spot Chanyeol the next time either, too busy dealing with the cluster of other parents hogging his attention. He’s starting to think he might actually be able to slip past Jongin’s notice until Taemin comes back.

That’s a lie, really; he knows it’s only a matter of time. He just doesn’t know what to even say to him when it happens. He’s forgotten what it’s like to be around Jongin anymore.

 

Seulgi is still full of energy by dinnertime, bouncing in her seat and attempting to half pirouette while sitting down.

“Jongin oppa is _sooo_ amazing, Daddy! He’s so handsome, he’s like a prince!”

Chanyeol tries to ignore the painful stab in his chest as Seulgi goes on swooning over Jongin.

“Eat your peas, sweetheart,” he says half-heartedly, suddenly feeling exhausted. Even so, he reaches over to brush away the stray tresses of hair falling across her face, tucking them behind her ear and manages a fond smile back onto his face.

 

He’s running a little late when he finally pulls up by the studio to pick Seulgi up. Leaping out from his car, he straightens his work suit, feeling a little frazzled as he hurries inside.

The studio has almost emptied out completely by now. There’s only a handful of parents left, nodding at Chanyeol before leaving with their kids.

“Chanyeol?”

Chanyeol freezes, his chest constricting tightly. His first instinct is to run but he stops himself; there’s nowhere to hide this time. He turns slowly, trying to school his expression into something more neutral. 

“Jongin,” he chokes out, managing a stiff smile. “Hi.”

He looks amazing. Even with his simple black clothes and his messy hair matted against his forehead, he looks amazing. Jongin returns his smile brightly and Chanyeol is reminded of how beautiful he’s always thought it is. The memory sends a sharp jab right between his ribs, crushing his lungs.

“It’s been–”

“Daddy!”

Seulgi’s squeal cuts Jongin off when she comes running, her hair falling all over her face. Breathing out a sigh of relief, Chanyeol drops down on one knee to pull her into his arms. Having her close always soothes him. He works on slipping Seulgi’s arms into the sleeves of her puffy jacket, zipping it up snugly to make sure she’s warm enough before straightening and taking her hand in his own.

“Sorry I– it’s getting late, we should really get going,” he says a little too quickly, just before Jongin tries to say anything else. The guilt swells up in his chest but he swallows it down firmly.

Jongin’s face falls, crestfallen, but he works a smile back on again, squatting to bring himself down to Seulgi’s level. 

“I’ll see you next week, okay?” he taps the tip of her nose gently and Seulgi bursts into a fit of giggles, shuffling to hide behind Chanyeol’s leg.

Chanyeol’s desperation to get out of there overrides his endearment, nodding at Jongin politely before leading Seulgi out of the studio quickly and back to the car. He doesn’t look back to see the look on Jongin’s face.

Chanyeol’s hands are trembling when he starts up the engine, mortified by how shaken he is. He can feel his heart thundering painfully against his ribs the entire drive home.

 

He dreams of Jongin’s smile that night. Sleeping fitfully, he twists uncomfortably in his sheets and doesn’t get any proper rest until there’s sunlight already filtering through the crack between his curtains. Groaning, Chanyeol presses the heels of his palms into his eyes until there’s white explosions in the back of his eyelids. He allows himself another couple of seconds to drown in the aching heaviness in his chest before pushing himself off the bed to get Seulgi ready for school.

 

It’s much harder to avoid Jongin when Jongin actively starts seeking him out.

Somehow, Chanyeol keeps managing to give him the slip, sneaking Seulgi out while Jongin’s busy with other parents or taking the chance to slip away when Jongin’s distracted for a second.

“Chanyeol, wait!” Jongin finally manages to latch onto Chanyeol’s wrist to stop him before he tries to hurry out again. He yanks his hand back seconds later, holding it close to his chest like he’s been burned. Chanyeol swallows tightly, feeling his heart in his throat; he’s finally been cornered. Jongin’s frustration slips a little, making way for the cautious, anxious look creeping into his eyes.

“Look, I know we left off in a weird place,” he starts, visibly swallowing at the memory. “I just– I was hoping maybe we could start over?”

His eyes are wide and so terribly hopeful. As brightly earnest and sincere as they’ve always been and Chanyeol finds his resistance crumbling against his better judgment. But really, what does he know about good judgment after all? Besides, he’s never been able to deny Jongin anything. There’s a hint of hurt somewhere deep in Jongin’s eyes as he waits anxiously for his reply and Chanyeol doesn’t want to think about how they’ve been in this exact position before. Maybe it’s time he stopped running.

“Yeah,” he nods, finally giving in. He offers Jongin a smile and Jongin is quick to return it, sunshine bright and blinding in his relief . “Yeah I’d like that.”

It hits him now, how terribly he’s really missed Jongin, having heard nothing from him in years.The realization knocks the ache back in his chest, inevitably touching on the bundle of feelings he’s kept buried somewhere deep down within him.

He’s not ready to deal with that right now so he turns his attention back to where Seulgi is playing with her friends instead. She laughs loudly and Chanyeol grins with her, feeling his shoulders relax slightly.

“So, what do you think?” Chanyeol asks, puffing up proudly when she manages a near perfect pirouette. “She’s pretty great, huh?”

“She’s is,” Jongin agrees, watching her leap around with the other girls. “She’s got a lot of potential. A lot more than her dad ever had.”

Chanyeol catches him grinning slyly and jabs his elbow into Jongin’s ribs indignantly, unable to help his smile when Jongin yelps with laughter. It’s almost alarming how quickly they’ve already begun to fall back into their old selves, snapping back into their old routine like they never lost any time together at all.

This time he doesn’t make a dash for the door when he comes to pick Seulgi up, leaving with the promise to meet again and catch up properly.

It’s easier to hold a proper conversation outside the studio, without a crowd of kids and parents vying for his attention. Going out for coffee eventually turns into lunch or the occasional dinner when they’re too busy during the day. Chanyeol is a little surprised at himself for going with it so willingly after trying to escape for so long. It’s better this way anyhow; he wants to fix this.

It’s so easy to fall back into that familiar rapport with Jongin, getting to know him all over again. There’s a lot Chanyeol’s missed out on in all these years that they haven’t been in contact. He learns that Jongin’s been to Europe, spending a few years in France after being accepted into an elite ballet school.

Chanyeol grins to himself at that, swelling up with an odd sense of pride for Jongin. He always knew Jongin would make it big; even without knowing a thing about dance, he could still tell that the way Jongin moved was special.

He catches himself laughing yet again at one of Jongin’s jokes, guffawing so loudly that it turns a few heads from the people around them. Just like old times.

It’s dangerous. Chanyeol knows this content feeling all too well, recognizing the familiar way his heart swells. He’s tried not to think about it but Chanyeol probably never really fell out of love with Jongin even after ten years of trying.

“Can I ask–" Jongin says one day while they’re having dinner at a restaurant. He hesitates for a moment before going on carefully. “Seulgi’s mother?”

Chanyeol munches on his pasta thoughtfully, the question calling up bittersweet memories.

“I met her at a bar” he starts, avoiding Jongin’s eye as he pushes his fork through the spaghetti absently. “We got pretty drunk together, I don’t– I didn’t even know till she showed up on my doorstep with a bundle in her arms. She ran off after that; said she didn’t want any part in it at all.”

Jongin stares at him, his eyes soft.

He says nothing, instead reaching over to curve his hand around Chanyeol’s on the table. His palm is warm, soothing, and Chanyeol mourns its loss when Jongin pulls it away.

“It’s alright,” he says, looking up to meet Jongin’s eye this time with a smile. “I got the most beautiful baby girl all to myself. Can’t imagine a life without her.”

He looks down at the colourful bracelet circling his wrist, touching the heart shaped beads Seulgi had put in there when stringing it together for him.

“She makes everything better. She’s made _me_ just...a better person,” he murmurs, turning his hand over and thinks about the first time she fitted her tiny little hand into his palm and became his entire world. “Gotta make sure my little princess has a worthy prince for a dad, right?”

He catches Jongin smiling fondly and flushes as he comes back to himself.

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s just,” Jongin twists his glass of water around. “I’ve always thought you were pretty great from the start.”

Chanyeol’s heart stutters painfully in his chest. He turns his attention back to his food, stuffing his mouth with a forkful of pasta to avoid having to answer.

 

He invites Jongin over for dinner almost a week later. Delighted, Seulgi immediately seizes Jongin’s hand and drags him to her room to show him all her toys and dolls. Chanyeol chuckles, listening to their laughter as he busies himself with the food in the kitchen.

Dinner is much noisier than usual now that they have company, their loud laughter filling the room as they enjoy Chanyeol’s cooking. Chanyeol watches on in fond amusement as Jongin makes Seulgi giggle with his voice impersonations of cartoon characters. Somehow, he convinces her to eat her vegetables without a struggle, grinning smugly at Chanyeol when he spots the indignant look on his face.

Chanyeol carries Seulgi to her room when she starts getting too droopy eyed to stay upright on her chair. He tucks her into bed, flicking on her nightlight before heading back to the kitchen. Rolling up the sleeves of his shirt, he gets to work with cleaning up, piling the dirty dishes into the sink while Jongin looks for a clean dishcloth.

They bump their hips into each other as they work, laughing quietly. The kitchen isn’t small by any means but they keep shifting closer together like there’s no space to move anywhere else. Chanyeol keeps glancing over at Jongin’s face and catches Jongin sneaking looks back until he stops turning away and finally just holds his gaze.

The moment feels loaded, suspended in time. They freeze, and Chanyeol’s breath catches in his throat, unsure if he should move or not. In the end Jongin curls his fingers around Chanyeol’s elbow softly, leaning in tentatively and Chanyeol meets him the rest of the way.

He kisses Chanyeol softly, the tip of his nose pressing into Chanyeol’s cheek. Jongin’s lips against his own almost feel like coming home. Dropping the plate back into the soapy water, Chanyeol turns properly to kiss Jongin harder, pushing him back against the counter to press into his chest. He feels Jongin’s fingers slide into his hair, swallowing down the soft sounds he makes as he brushes their tongues together.

They rip apart gasping for air, barely a few inches between them but the air is loaded, heavy with the magnitude of what they’ve just done. Jongin avoids his eyes, forehead bowed over onto his shoulder. He whispers something but Chanyeol doesn’t catch it. Tilting jongin’s face back up with a finger under his chin, he furrows his eyebrows, waiting till he repeats himself.

“I,” Jongin whispers again, swallowing as he looks unnerved this time; vulnerable.

“I’ve always loved you,” he breathes, exhaling as he holds his gaze unwaveringly. “I never stopped loving you.”

Chanyeol lets out a shaky breath, searching Jongin’s eyes for the lie in his words, wondering if this is just some cruel joke for daring to hope. But all he sees is the same fear he’d known ten years ago, of wanting to lay himself out bare at risk of wrecking everything they had.

Jongin’s arms start slipping from around his shoulders, assuming the worst and Chanyeol can’t hear past the sound of the blood rushing through his ears, leaning in to kiss Jongin again. He tilts his head to press in deeper, holding Jongin’s face in his hands and kisses him hard enough to stamp his _me too_ into Jongin’s lips.

“God I’ve waited more than ten years to hear that,” Chanyeol sighs, pressing his forehead to Jongin’s.

“We’re both idiots,” Jongin groans, sparing a second to laugh incredulously before dipping in to press their mouths together again.

Hooking his hands around the back of Jongin’s thighs, Chanyeol hoists him up onto the counter and shuffles between his knees as Jongin crosses his legs around his waist. Jongin laughs breathlessly, looking as beautiful and breathtaking as he always has and Chanyeol is still _so_ in love. Taking Chanyeol’s face into his palms, Jongin pulls him in to kiss him again, pressing soft kisses to his lips before licking into his mouth, deep and slow.

Chanyeol pulls away to press his lips against Jongin’s jaw, trailing down along his throat and sucks on a sensitive spot until Jongin whines, his grip tightening on Chanyeol’s shoulders. Sliding his hands up Jongin’s firm thighs, he mouths at his throat, reaching around to pull him closer against him but Jongin suddenly pushes him back.

“Wait, Chanyeol, _ah_ , wait we can’t!” he protests, struggling to pull back.

Stunned, Chanyeol’s heart plummets as he looks up to meet Jongin’s eyes.

“I– I thought…but–” he struggles, feeling his chest caving in on him all over again.

Jongin catches on, his eyes widening before he starts waving hands.

“No no, _shit_ , Chanyeol, it’s not that,” he cups his face again and presses a long tender kiss to his lips, drawing back a fraction before leaning in again. He’s laughing when he pulls back enough to look at him again.

“I meant _we_ can’t. Seulgi might wake up,” he explains pointedly, chuckling harder at the way in dawns on Chanyeol too.

“Tomorrow,” Jongin murmurs, hooking his arms around Chanyeol’s neck to keep him close. “Come over to my place.”

He presses a kiss to Chanyeol’s lips like a promise before sliding off the counter, looking a little flushed as he busies himself with the wet pots again. Chanyeol snorts fondly, reminded of how surprisingly shy he gets about being so forward at times, despite his confidence in bed.

His chest expands, filled with a comfortable feeling of happiness and he resumes his place by Jongin’s side to dip his hands into the soapy water again. Pressing one last kiss against Jongin’s temple, Chanyeol beams, not even trying to hide it.

Jongin doesn’t stay the night, needing to get back home to get some sleep before his early shift the following morning. It doesn’t stop Chanyeol from pushing him up against the door just as he’s about to leave, kissing him deeply enough that Jongin has to pull away before they go any further, flushed and laughing. 

Chanyeol is too restless to go to bed, already knowing he’s not going to get much sleep that night. He tiptoes into Seulgi’s room instead, flopping down into an armchair and watches her breathe slowly in her sleep, thinking about how lucky he is to have this all.

 

“Seulgi, could you come here for a minute?” Chanyeol calls out from his bedroom, hearing her footsteps on the floorboards as she runs to him.

“How do I look?” he asks, striking a ridiculous pose when Seulgi comes into his room.

Cocking her head to the side as she takes in his outfit before saying solemnly;

“Like a penguin.”

She giggles when Chanyeol puts his hands on his hips indignantly, jutting his lower lip out.

“Hmmm but would a penguin do _this_?”

He charges at Seulgi with a roar, throwing his arms over his head and chases her as she tries to escape with a squeal. Chanyeol lets her get as far as the kitchen before scooping her up in his arms with a triumphant cry, hugging her against him as she screams and laughs.

He takes her back to the bedroom where his full length mirror is, dropping her carefully onto the bed as he straightens out his suit jacket.

Jongin had given him a ticket to his show, trying to be nonchalant about it even though Chanyeol knows it’s extremely important to him. It’s the first time Chanyeol’s going to see him dance again in ten years, ever since he used to sit and watch him dance in the school studio. They’re going out for dinner after the show; their first official date since they finally confessed to each other properly.

“Am I a handsome penguin, at least?” he asks Seulgi, fiddling with the knot of his tie a little anxiously.

“The penguin prince!” Seulgi says proudly, reaching her little arms out and makes grabby hands at him until he bends over to her level. She immediately throws her arms around his neck and plants a wet kiss on his cheek, patting his hair clumsily. Chuckling, Chanyeol feels the nerves subside, if just for now.

The doorbell rings and Chanyeol glances at his watch, pleased to see that he’s on time.

“Uncle Baekhyun is here to play with you till I get back okay?” he says, kissing her forehead. “Be good for him!”

“Bye Daddy, love you!”

“I love you too pumpkin,” Chanyeol beams.

 

Jongin’s show is breathtaking; he’s truly the star of the night, leaping across the stage in powerful, graceful movements. He’s positively glowing when he comes down backstage where Chanyeol is waiting for him with a bouquet of flowers.

“You were amazing,” he breathes in awe, leaning down to steal a kiss before Jongin can even say hi. Flushing at the compliment, Jongin beams and he tips his chin down in thanks.

“You look pretty great yourself,” Jongin says, eying Chanyeol’s suit appreciatively.

“I’m surprised you even wore one of these,” he goes on, smoothing a hand down the fold of his collar, “I remember how much you used to hate how stiff they felt.”

Chanyeol is touched that he even remembers that little detail from so long ago, feeling a sudden surge of affection.

“The things I do for love, I guess.”

He means for it to be a light hearted comment but his tone comes off more seriously than he’d intended and Jongin stares up at him, flushing again. He doesn’t say a word, breaking into a small smile just before he leans in to kiss Chanyeol properly, cupping his jaw to lick into his mouth. He almost forgets to breathe even after Jongin has pulled away with a gasp, remembering where they are.

“I’ll go clean up quickly and then we’ll go, okay?” he laughs when Chanyeol tugs him back in by the waist to kiss him again before finally letting him go. Jongin squeezes his side before disappearing into the changing room at the back.

Grinning, Chanyeol hangs back to wait for him, feeling light and easy. It’s taken long time but everything’s finally falling into place.


End file.
